A former acting Accountant General of the Federation, Chukwunyere Anamekwe Nwabuoku, 72, has been sentenced to 72 years in prison for laundering N868,465,000.

The judgment was delivered on Monday, March 23, 2026, by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) prosecuted Nwabuoku on nine charges of money laundering.

Evidence presented in court showed that funds meant for the Ministry of Defence were transferred into multiple corporate accounts and used for personal gain.

The accounts, held under company names, were not directly linked to Nwabuoku, a move that appeared intended to hide the source of the money.

The court detailed how millions of naira were deposited into accounts of companies including Temeeo Synergy Concept Limited, Turge Global Investment Limited, Laptev Bridge Limited, and Arafura Transnational Afro Limited.

For instance, N262 million went into Temeeo Synergy Concept, N202 million into Turge Global, and N281 million into Laptev Bridge Limited. The judge said these transactions were unlawful and formed part of a deliberate plan to convert government funds to private use.

Justice Omotosho stated that Nwabuoku could not provide evidence of legitimate businesses to justify the large sums he controlled.

He was unable to explain how he purchased a property valued at N64 million or how he obtained shares worth N200 million.

The court also noted that Nwabuoku refunded N220 million to the EFCC recovery account, which implied acknowledgment of wrongdoing.

The ruling further established that Nwabuoku orchestrated the opening of the corporate accounts in the names of Coiglobal, Nabyec, Arafura, and Kemo to receive funds from unlawful sources.

One count involved concealing N355 million paid into an account under the name of Mdavies Ltd, which had no legitimate business reason for receiving such funds.

The judge highlighted a sharp rise in Nwabuoku’s bank balances from N3 million before 2019 to massive deposits starting in August 2019, coinciding with the period of the alleged offenses.

All nine counts were examined, and the court found him guilty, sentencing him to a total of 72 years imprisonment.